Fifth-grader Carter Hunt did something on April 14 that he would not, could not have done when he first started his education in Mattapoisett. He stood on stage before an audience and sang a song during the Old Hammondtown School Talent Show.
Singing in public is something any average person is too afraid to assume, with the fear of being laughed at, messing up, and being nervous. But when you add to that a hypersensitivity to sound – such as the clapping and cheering of an audience – and perhaps a hypersensitivity to lights and the stimulation of the unpredictable nature of a roaring crowd of people in a seemingly chaotic atmosphere of a school cafetorium, one faces an even greater challenge.
Carter has autism, a developmental spectrum disorder that affects a child’s cognitive, speech, fine motor, and social development, and is often accompanied by sensory integration dysfunction that includes a hypo- or hyper-sensitivity to outside stimuli such as light, touch, and sound.
For some time, Carter was unable to have lunch in the cafeteria because of his sensitivity to the cacophony of the echoing noise of a bunch of children contained in a small area. With sensory dysfunction, specifically pertaining to sound, people with autism have a hard time filtering out background noise. Bombarded by hundreds of different sounds all at once, they are unable to focus on one conversation, for example, and are instead left to process every conversation equally around them, making it impossible to regulate the input.
With therapy, and over time, some people like Carter can develop the ability to process a barrage of sound input in their own way, or at least regulate their response to the stimulation and manage to, essentially, ‘keep it together.’
As Carter stood on the stage waiting for the moment to begin, he smiled softly as he gently clasped his hands together and patiently waited for the accompanying guitar music to begin.
“I see trees of green, red roses, too,
I see them bloom, for me and you,
And I think to myself what a wonderful world.”
Indeed, we live in a world of diversity and infinite possibility, a vast landscape of beauty for all to see, and we even find it in places one might look last to find it. Carter’s voice was made for song: beautiful, pure, and downright angelic.
“I see skies of blue and clouds of white,
The bright blessed day, the darkness of night,
And I think to myself what a wonderful world.”
Those blue skies and white clouds do not bless every single day in the lives of those touched by autism. And the darkness of those often sleepless nights sometimes does not bring much comfort to a parent of a child with autism who will awaken the next day exhausted after hardly any sleep because their child’s sleep cycle keeps them up for most of the night. There are sunny days aplenty, though, and when the sun shines, it really shines – like Carter, who lit up the stage and brightened the gray skies of any adult heart there that could hear him.
“The colors of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky,
Are also on the faces of people going by.
I see friends shaking hands, saying ‘How do you do?’
But they’re really saying, ‘I love you.’”
The students and staff at Old Hammondtown School have been so supportive of Carter, says his dad Carter Hunt, a member of the Mattapoisett School Committee.
“The kids in his class have all been drawn to him and supportive. It’s a wonderful community of kids,” said Hunt. “He feels very supported. Kids like Carter sort of let people know that, with some of their differences, these kids are part of the community. He’s just another kid that’s different,” said Hunt. “You know, every kid is different.”
Meanwhile, as Carter sings his song, throughout the cafetorium grown-ups are wiping tears and trying to keep their hearts from bursting out of their chests.
“I hear babies crying and I watch them grow
They’ll learn much more than we’ll ever know…”
One in 68 babies born in the United States today will be diagnosed with autism. Three out of four of those babies will be boys, meaning that one in every 42 boys born will be autistic. The number continues to rise every year.
Autism brings with it a lifetime of challenges for that individual and their caregivers. But it also brings a degree and depth of love that is unique to a parent of a child with autism, as well as those who work with the child and are blessed to know them intimately.
Carter has a special place in the heart of Old Hammondtown School Principal Rose Bowman, who spoke of Carter’s incredible voice and his ability to touch the hearts of those who know him.
“I just cry when I hear him sing,” Bowman said. “It takes my breath away.”
Paraprofessional Diane Behan admitted she cried her eyes out during Carter’s performance. And when Carter finished his song, the crowd went wild, and he also started to cry as he left the stage.
“He remembered everything we talked about before the show,” said Behan, adding that they discussed what it means when he cries sometimes like he did that afternoon. “It wasn’t the noise that upset him,” said Behan. “When he cried at the end, it’s because he was happy. We told him that’s what happens sometimes when you’re happy.”
Carter’s grandpa, also named Carter Hunt, sat in the audience for Carter’s performance, saying he was proud of Carter for getting up on the stage and doing what he did.
“He’s the best singer in the family,” said Hunt. “He’s a great boy. Very loving and sweet.”
Special Education teacher Michele Behan described Carter as a very loveable kid who has really come out of his shell, this year especially. “He’s just a wonderful part of the community and everyone loves him.” She admitted she was tearful as she watched and listened to Carter sing, saying Carter’s performance “tugged at my heart.” She was not alone. Many beating hearts were tugged.
This particular song is special, existing almost as an anthem of eternal hope and optimism, and fitting as a representation of the contribution that Carter and many people like Carter offer a world of such diversity and beauty. Carter’s voice is one example of that beauty.
“And I think to myself what a wonderful world.
Yes, I think to myself what a wonderful world.”
By Jean Perry
